Pittsfield Lefty Pitching for Brewers' Rookie Team
 Charly Bashara on the mound against the Mariners last month in this photo taken by his mother, Mary. |
“At first I didn’t want to be a pitcher, I wanted to hit,” Bashara said in a phone interview last week. “I would pout on the mound, but my coaches and my parents kept me going. Every body pulled the lefty card because there are so few of us. For me, it took a couple of really good outings to want to pitch.”
Apparently all of that hard work has paid off for the Berkshire County southpaw. Bashara signed a professional contract on June 15 with the Milwaukee Brewers to play on the Brewers’ rookie league affiliate in the Arizona League. Since play began last month, Bashara has accumulated a 3-0 record during eight appearances in the Arizona Summer League. He has pitched 31 innings, carrying a 2.61 ERA with 27 strikeouts to just seven walks. But, according to Bashara, his greatest challenge isn’t the competition, it’s the Arizona heat.
“We call it the daily grind. The coaches tell us every day that we’ve got to take care of our bodies,” he said. “It’s 100-plus degrees out every day and we can’t treat our bodies poorly.”
According to Kevin Stannard, based on what he’s seen so far, Bashara is treating himself pretty well. Stannard, who has coached varsity baseball at Taconic High School (Bashara’s alma mater) for the past 18 years, said, “Charly has never looked better.”
“He’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen him,” Stannard said. “He’s working as hard as he can. He’s always been very competitive and he expects a lot from himself. He’s worked hard to get where he is.”
Indeed, there have been no breaks for the Pittsfield lefty. Bashara began playing baseball in the YMCA’s Coaches’ Pitch when he was just eight. At the time, he said, it was just for fun.
“I think when I was really little baseball was more of just a fun activity,” he said. “My mom and dad wanted to get me into sports. My dad is a big Red Sox fan. As I got older I began to see something to strive for and I felt like I was getting closer to it.”
Mary Vasquez-Slack and Charly's brother Jeff had a chance to see him play last month.
"We took a trip to the Grand Canyon and the next day we lucked out and saw him start his first game," she said. "He pitched seven innings [the most in a single game], struck out seven batters and got the win against the Mariners!"
Her son's loved playing ball since Little League, when, she said, he first showed signs of talent.
"I am beyond proud of him and his accomplishments, but what impresses me most is his persistent pursuit to fulfill his dream," said Mary Bashara. "I think he's an amazing person and great ball player and look forward to see him move up the ranks."
As Charly Bashara focuses on perfecting his game, Stannard was proudly watching the progression of his star player.
“He hit third for us and played outfield when he wasn’t pitching. He was actually a pretty good hitter,” Stannard said. “But you could tell he was going to pitch. He had good velocity. Most teams around here didn’t want to face him. He pitched in the high 70s and low 80s. He topped out at 91 miles per hour.”
After graduating from Taconic, Bashara went on to play college ball at Northeastern University, where he became a four-year varsity contributor for the Huskies finishing with a career 7-6 record and racking up 117 strikeouts. When school was out of session, Bashara spent summers playing ball for the Pittsfield Dukes in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the Geneva Red Wings in the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He said the last four years have readied him for his newfound career with the Brewers.
“Northeastern definitely prepared me for this level of competition,” Bashara said. “The last five years have helped me see what kind of talent is coming in. Sure, I have a little ‘nerves.’ But you definitely see how you’re going to fit in with the team pretty quickly. I’m actually one of the older players so that keeps me on a pretty even keel. Right now I’m still having fun. I like it when I’m out there performing and doing what I do best. Playing ball is what I want to do.”
Updated Aug. 9, 2010, at 5:14 p.m. for minor edits, and addition of quotes and photos.
